


Falling Slowly

by elemie89



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Fake Marriage, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Friends With Benefits, Rated E for Eventually, Rated E for Everyone Catches Feelings, emotionally constipated idiots
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-05
Updated: 2020-08-18
Packaged: 2021-01-23 08:28:19
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,673
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21317158
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elemie89/pseuds/elemie89
Summary: Friends With Benefits/ Co-Workers Ben Solo and Rey Kenobi are mistaken for a married couple while on a work retreat. In order to land a client, they must keep up the ruse. Absolutely nothing will go wrong with this plan.Whatsoever.For House Dadam's "Fall Is Cumming" collection.
Relationships: Kaydel Ko Connix/Dopheld Mitaka, Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 126
Kudos: 244
Collections: Fall Is Cumming - A Kinky Dadam/Thirst Order Collection





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Audrey4ever](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Audrey4ever/gifts).

> Yes, I have no self control, but the follow prompt was too juicy: 
> 
> Rey & Ben must fake being married so they land whatever client they need. Maybe they’re already f buddies or been buddies/roomies before it and see how they would be great as an actual couple. Set somewhere east coast to experience autumn- leaves changing, maple syrup, apple cider etc. Smut encouraged.
> 
> A few notes: The fake marriage portion begins in chapter 2, so hang tight for that! Also, chapter count is a rough guesstimate at this point, may/ may not change. 
> 
> Thanks to [Audrey4ever](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Audrey4ever) for the inspiration.
> 
> Thanks to [JenfysNest](https://archiveofourown.org/users/JenfysNest) for the beta.

The typical American worker spends an average of 5 hours per day in meetings. Rey Kenobi would bet her yearly salary that the average employee of First Order Publishing spends double that. She doesn’t know how that’s even possible as a work day is normally eight hours, but she’s fairly certainly it’s a scientifically proven fact. 

It’s verified today by the fact that she’s in her second (third?) meeting and it’s only eleven am. Her boss, James Snoke–a man who fancies himself the next Rupert Murdoch–has been droning on about their plans for the direction of their company in the next quarter. It’s the same stuff he talked about last quarter and Rey figures doodling on the Post-Its she brought to the meeting is a better use of her time than paying attention. 

Her co-worker and occasional fuck buddy, Ben Solo, just tapped her on the leg with his foot. He’s looking particularly smug today in his typical all-black attire. But damn does he pull it off well. He’s looking at her expectantly with his deep brown eyes, chiseled jaw and prominent nose. It’s only now that she’s realized he’s said something to her. 

“Hmm?” she responded, centering her mind in the here and now. 

He pointed his pen toward their boss, who’s looking none too pleased standing at the head of the conference table, hands pressed against the table. His lips are drawn into a tight line, accentuating the scar bisecting his face. “Miss Kenobi, care to join us?” 

_ Maybe.  _ “Yes, sorry. What was the question?” 

Mr. Snoke sighed. “What have you contributed this past quarter?” 

“Oh! Well, I brought in three new authors that I’m really excited about,” Rey answered, straightening in her chair. 

“What genre?” he asked. Rey doesn’t know why, but somehow this feels like a trap of some sort. She decided to play his game anyway. 

“Two are romance and one is YA.” 

He raised his eyebrows. “Did one of the romance novelists happen to be D.M. Simineaux?” 

And there it was. “No, we tried making overtures, but he’s resisted them thus far. It seems he’s happy self-publishing on Amazon.” 

Snoke scoffed incredulously. “Come now, I find that a bit far-fetched.” 

Rey shrugged. “It’s true, I can show you our e-mail correspondence.” 

He closed his eyes and sighed. “He’s going to be at the Writer’s Guild Conference that you’re headed to next week. You’re going to get me a contract with him.” 

“Sir, I can try…” she began firmly. 

“And you’re taking Benjamin with you.” 

“You… you’re kidding me, but I always go to the conference by myself.” Rey seethed below the surface, but she managed to remain calm. 

Snoke continued. “Yes, I felt it best given your perfectly adequate performance this past year.” 

Rey had never wanted to cause a scene in a boardroom more in her whole life. She was about five seconds away from slamming her palms on the table and yelling that she tripled their investment with the writers she brought in this year. The only thing that stopped her was Ben putting his hand on her thigh. 

He could sense the tension radiating from her body and knew she was close to boiling over. She thought better of having an outburst at work, keeping herself quiet by chewing the inside of her mouth. 

“We’ll be there, Mr. Snoke,” he said, speaking quickly before Rey could respond. 

“Thank you, Benjamin,” Snoke nodded.

The meeting concluded a few moments later, but Rey didn’t hear any of Snoke’s ramblings as he wrapped up. She closed her tablet and keyboard with a little more force than was necessary. Rey was mainly unsure of why she was doing this. She knew Snoke wouldn’t take note and even if he did, he wouldn’t care. 

Rey once saw a meme on Facebook that said that if you were to die today, your company would have your position filled by lunch time. Rey scoffed at the humor in it all, but when she saw it, she felt that pang of familiar discomfort you get when something hits terribly close to home. That was just life at First Order Publishing. Everyone, except Ben fucking Solo, was replaceable.

Ben Solo. Now there was a subject that was an enigma unto itself. Two parts of her brain were constantly at war with each other about him. One day, Rey would find herself wanting to scream at him and tell him to fuck off for being Snoke’s golden boy. He could do no wrong. Rey could bring in twice the authors and revenue than Ben, but he’s the one getting patted on the back and promoted quicker. Don’t misunderstand, Ben’s not lazy, Rey just knew she hustled harder than him. 

The other part of her brain, on some days, turned to mush when he swaggered by her smelling of cinnamon, spice, and everything nice. Rey tried to keep her wits about her when it came to him, but sometimes she feared she was more fucked than one of those horny ingenues in the romance novels that lined the bookshelves in her office. 

Rey slumped down in her desk once she reached her office. It was about the size of her living room at home, simple with a desk, private bathroom and leather couch. It was like that for all the agents who had offices in Rey’s hallway. Her bookshelves were stuffed with books, and she opted to decorate her desk more simply, with a few photos and knicknacks. She had just gotten her own office about six months ago after having worked tirelessly for four years at First Order. It was a pretty big day when she got to move in. It felt like she had finally moved up in the world and more rewards for her hard efforts were soon to come. What a load of bullshit that turned out to be. 

Six months later, here she was with nothing to show for her efforts—just a mediocre office with personal trinkets scattered around. More and more, Rey was beginning to think she needed to seek other opportunities. First Order was her first job out of college. No one stays at their first job forever anymore, she thought as she fired up her computer. Her fingers tapped on her keyboard and took her to a job-seeking website, as if they had a mind of their own. 

She shook her head as her conscience got the better of her and opened up her e-mail. Rey had fifty queries she needed to  _ attempt  _ to get through before the end of the day. Another day without lunch. She could feel the headache already forming as she rubbed her temples. 

It wasn’t until her office grew dark and she could no longer see the objects on her desk without the aid of a light that she was tempted once again by the job seeking website. Her mouse hovered over the tab for the site for a few seconds before she could bring herself to click on it. It felt like a betrayal at first, but she remembered she owed Snoke no loyalty. 

She blinked at her computer screen and scrolled, searching for a job that might be worth her time. Finding a few, she sent in her resume, looking out into the hallway every few seconds. 

After they were sent off, she rolled her shoulders, trying to work out some of the tension that had built up over the last few hours. She feels everything—hungry, tired, thirsty,  _ horny— _ and nothing all at the same time. A feeling of restlessness seeps into her bones as she checks the time. It’s almost eight pm and she wonders if  _ he’s  _ still here too. Before she gets any bright ideas about  _ that _ , she figures she should go home for the night and use a toy like the rest of womankind. 

Not heeding her inner monologue, she picked up her phone as if on auto pilot. As if her muscles know what to do when she’s restless, bored...and lonely. No good can come of it, but she picked up her phone anyway. 

< _ Ben Solo: If you’re still here, can you please stop by my office?> _

The text on her screen had come in five minutes ago. It’s now a confirmed fact he’s still here.  _ He’s the one asking this time _ , she thought. If he’s the one initiating this, she rationalizes, there’s no harm in going into his office. She tapped the message box to respond, but hesitated for a moment. The last time she was in his office—yesterday—she was resolute it would be the last time. Now here she is, twenty-four hours later and she’s considering walking back in there. Rey can’t help but wonder if she has some masochistic tendencies. 

She tapped her phone in her hand and bit her lip. Did she really want to do this again, especially given his behavior in the boardroom? Her baser instincts won out. She’s wound tight like a coil and he knows her body and just how to unwind it. He’s known for the past eleven months and she hates that about him. 

Her arrangement with Ben was a simple one with three rules: no kissing, both parties use some sort of contraceptive, and no sleepovers after the deed is done. Her feet carried her to his office, only a few doors down the hall, as they’ve done dozens of times before.

Rey raised her hand to knock on the door. A moment of hesitation passed. There was still time to turn back and stay resolute in her decision to end this arrangement. The need to relax her body is what made her carry through and knock. At least that’s what she told herself. 

Ben answered the door and Rey’s heart fluttered. Since earlier this afternoon, he’d taken off his suit jacket and rolled the sleeves of his black button down dress shirt up—Rey’s secret weakness. She could see his muscles flex and relax with his movements, making her mouth water. She kept a straight face, not betraying her emotions, but internally she was rolling her eyes at herself. 

His typical smirk spread across his face as he rested a hand against the door. “I was beginning to think you weren’t going to come.” 

“Please,” she rolled her eyes, pushing past him and entering. “I don’t jump when you say come.” 

A throaty chuckle escaped from Ben as he shut the door. “Fair enough.” 

If Rey considered her office mildly sparse, Ben’s is positively Spartan. No personal items or pictures adorn his desk, only a plain black desk set and his company-issued computer. Tonight, half-eaten pad thai is the newest addition. His bookshelves only contain a minimal amount of books, mainly those written by his clients, and none of them look like they’ve been touched since they were brought in from the printing company. 

Ben pulled her in against his chest and nipped at her jawline. She could already feel the tension from the day begin to melt out of her body like magic. He just seemed to have that effect on her. Their bodies moved in tandem as his plush lips moved down her neck, backing up toward the black leather couch up against the wall. 

Rey palmed the bulge in his pants, pulling an animalistic grunt from Ben. She smirked as it vibrated on her neck, sending a wave of pleasure straight to her cunt. They collapsed on the couch and Rey began hiking up her pencil skirt as Ben settled over her. Ben undid the buttons on her blouse and nipped at her earlobe, but Rey was simply focused on undoing his belt buckle, her fingers fumbling as she was close to completing her mission. With every movement and touch, she could feel the cares of the day oozing from her body. Ben knew how to make her squirm with glee. She kept coming back for more, like a moth to the flame. She knew she was hooked on his touch like a junkie. Rey supposed there were worse drugs to get hooked on. 

Ben swirled the pad of his thumb over her purple lacy bralette, a tiny shockwave of arousal washing through her—a mere hint of things to come. He lavished her other breast with kisses, nips and sucks, pulling little mewls from her. 

Ben moved to lower his head between her legs, but Rey stopped him. He quirked his eyebrow in confusion. Normally Rey loved when Ben used his tongue, but tonight she’d rather he get down to business as quickly as possible. 

“You… don’t want me to… ya know… warm you up?” 

Rey shook her head quickly and finished unbuckling his belt. “Just use your fingers quickly and then fuck me.” 

Ben titled his head almost imperceptibly. “Okay.” 

He slipped his thumbs under the waistband of her plain blue panties and tugged them down around her ankles. Ben hummed appreciatively as he surveyed her glistening, bare cunt. “Did I make you that wet just playing with your pretty tits?” 

Rey flopped a hand onto her forehead, huffed out a breath and squirmed a fraction. “Yeah, yeah, you’re a fucking sex god, Solo… just hurry up already!” 

He chuckled in response. “As you wish.” 

Rey hissed as he slipped a thick finger in, setting a pace that wasn’t fast enough for Rey. She needed quick and dirty and that’s what she was going to get from him. “Faster.” 

He could give as good as he got. He smirked and increased his ministrations, but not before adding a second finger. The sudden increase in pressure caused Rey’s back to arch, and a cry of pleasure to spill out of her lips. Ben swirled his thumb around her clit, which was now swollen and glad for the slight relief. 

Rey rocked into his fingers, almost forgetting she actually wanted Ben to fuck her. “Just fuck me, please.” 

Her voice came out needy and breathy as she spoke. 

That damned devilish grin creeped back on his face again. He withdrew his fingers and shoved his pants down his muscular thighs. His cock sprang free, a bead of precum had already formed on the tip. Rey gave a few strokes along his thick length as he reached under the couch cushion she was laying on, pulling out a condom.

Rey giggled as he broke open the wrapper. “Still hiding condoms in the couch I see…” 

“I don’t hear you complaining,” he retorted with a quirked eyebrow. 

He slipped the rubber sheath over his length and pressed himself into her. She cried out in pleasure as she took the first inches of him. He set a punishing pace, just like she told him to. Her hips bucked up to meet him with each thrust. Each thrust further obliterated the tension in her body, yet caused the tight coil of her impending orgasm to wind even tighter. Her moans left her body without her having to do much of anything. Their swears and thrusts mixed in the air, thick with the scent of their arousal. She squeezed her eyes tight.  _ This is the last time _ , she swore. 

It was the last coherent thought she had before the haze of her climax washed over her like a wave on the beach—not one that laps the shore lazily, but one that crashes with ferocity during a storm. When she could think again, her muscles were shaky with the echoes of her orgasm still rippling through her. Her back eased down to the couch and she stared up at the ceiling as her breath came back to normal.  _ This is the last time _ , she repeated. 

Ben wiped some beads of sweat off his forehead and discarded the condom in the trash. Rey slowly sat up on the couch, taking care to not mess up the leather. She got up to head to Ben’s private bathroom to clean herself up. As soon as she was finished with that, she returned to Ben’s office still holding the paper towel she used to wipe her hands off with. 

Ben had returned to sitting behind his desk, finishing his pad Thai, which was probably cold by now. He had just shoveled a forkful of noodles in and started chewing when she met his gaze. 

He swallowed. “What?” 

Rey just now realized she was staring him and blinked. What she said next shocked even her. “I’m quitting, Ben.”

  
  



	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back! Thanks to everyone who left comments and kudos on chapter one. Your love sustains me. Thank you! <3
> 
> As always, thanks to [JenfysNest](https://archiveofourown.org/users/JenfysNest) for the beta read. <3

Rey shocked herself when she told Ben she was leaving First Order. She hadn’t meant to tell him. In the grand scheme of things, he was nothing to her. Yes, she sometimes wondered, while she was getting ready for work, if Ben would like her outfit. One time she got a haircut and had unexplained anxiety, over a long weekend, wondering if Ben would like it or not, but really, didn’t that happen to everyone who had a fuck buddy? 

She told herself it had to be her tired brain and a trick of the light that Ben looked sad after she’d made her confession. What she had with Ben was purely physical. Yeah, maybe there were times when Rey wanted it to be more than physical, but that was out of the question. Men like Ben don’t do _ that _ and certainly not with the likes of her.

Within days, Rey found herself packing to go to the conference. She was supposed to leave at 8 a.m. tomorrow. And here she was, at 9 p.m. on a Sunday, debating whether or not to bring her sexy underwear on this conference. She rolled her eyes and dismissed her musings as stupid. This was a professional, work environment. Rey then remembered the two subsequent times they hooked up since she told him she was looking for other work and quickly put the black lace panties back in her suitcase. _ So much for “the last time.” _

In spite of her logical declaration, it still took her two hours to pack for a five day trip, as opposed to her normal thirty minutes. Picking outfits was, apparently, proving a difficult task. She flopped down in bed at around eleven that evening and slept fitfully, which was par for the course before Rey took a business trip. 

The buzzer for her apartment rang at 7:55 the next morning. Rey had only just woken up about a half hour prior and hastily made some coffee for herself and dressed. Ben was the only one of them with a car, so they decided he was driving. 

“Hello?” Rey’s voice was still groggy from sleep. 

“Hey, it’s Ben, hurry up, I might be illegally parked and almost had to fight a guy for this spot.” 

Rey rolled her eyes. “I’m coming.” 

“What’s all that?” Ben nodded toward a shopping bag she was carrying, as she rushed out of her apartment. 

“Road trip snacks!” She proudly showed off her haul. 

Ben’s eyebrows furrowed as he surveyed all the sugary snacks she’d purchased. “That can feed, like, ten people and it’s only a 3 hour drive.” 

“It is a truth universally acknowledged that a person taking a road trip must be in possession of enough snacks that it looks like they were purchased by an unsupervised six year-old.” 

Ben shook his head. “Did you seriously just bastardize Jane Austen to justify putting yourself into a diabetic coma?” 

Rey laughed at his joke as she took a sip of coffee from her travel mug and picked up her suitcase. Ben took her luggage and put it in the backseat. It was moments like this that made Rey more conflicted. She usually hated him until his dick was inside her, but then there were moments like this where he seemed sweet and gentlemanly. It confused the hell out of her. 

She hopped in Ben’s Porsche Cayenne and the new car smell hit her instantly. The black leather interior was immaculately kept and the floor was equally spotless. They buckled up and Ben’s car made its way toward the Brooklyn Bridge and out of the city. 

The greys, blacks and whites of New York City soon gave way to the changing colors of upstate New York. As a foster kid being passed around London most of her formative years, Rey found joy in even the smallest things, and Holland Park and it’s changing foliage was one of those joys. 

The golden tones of the orange, yellow, and red instantly transported her back to happier childhood memories. The winding roads carved out of the Catskills were blanketed in those colors and she could almost smell the crisp cold air, feel the dirt and gravel crunching beneath her boots. An involuntary smile spread across Rey’s face as she absentmindedly nibbled on a Red Vine. Fall was most certainly here. 

A cough from Ben interrupted her bubble of happy thoughts. “So, I figure we should talk about our… arrangement… and how we’ll play things while at this conference.” 

“Okay… I’m assuming you’re going to say that we should halt our _ arrangement _ while we’re away because this is a work event and blah, blah, blah,” Rey said, waving her hands.

Ben smirked. “Exactly. It’s never stopped us from…participating in our arrangement at work before, but people gossip even more at these things.” 

Rey pulled another Red Vine from her bag and offered it to Ben. He declined. “Totally get it. One year, Snap accidentally took a Kool-Aid bath after a night of indulging too much. He was pink from the neck down for a week.” 

“A little more innocuous than our situation, but yeah. Let’s just keep it strictly professional this week.” 

She nodded her assent. This was totally fine with Rey. She would treat this week like a detox. Her own personal detox from Ben Solo. She knew she couldn’t just quit him any time she wanted. He was deep in her veins and needed to be extracted. Five days without his dick would do her good. It would make it much easier when she slammed her two weeks notice on Snoke’s desk after she got a new job. She wouldn’t need to worry about what Ben thought—not that she _ should _ be caring about his thoughts at all. 

Also, it’s not like she’ll be seeing much of him this week at the conference. He mainly focused on romance novelists and Rey’s clientele was YA novelists, with a dash of romance sprinkled here and there. They wouldn’t run into each other much and that was just fine by Rey. This would be perfect. This would work. 

Rey fell asleep somewhere between Newburgh and New Paltz and was awakened by a tapping on her shoulder. They had arrived at Pinewood Resort. 

Pinewood Resort was a long building, accented with wooden columns to support the exterior porch. Adirondack chairs lined the porch, with eager conference-goers milling about outside. The white and wood-toned building had been home to the Writer’s Guild Conference for the past three years. The participants jumped at the chance to take part in the activities aside from writing panels, like hikes and trips to the local apple orchard. Rey was no exception and was looking forward to soaking in everything the Catskills had to offer. 

They checked into their respective rooms. Ben reminded Rey that there was a cocktail reception at seven that evening to welcome all the participants. Their strategy was to mingle and to see if they could get a lead on the elusive D.M. Simineaux. The author’s identity was a hot topic in the literary community. They were the top-selling self-published romance author on Amazon, which made them all the more attractive to Snoke—and every other publishing house for that matter. 

Objectively, their writing was very good. In fact, it was some of the best prose Rey had seen in her short years in the industry. D.M. Simineaux wrote a short story, that they made available for download on their website, about two scientists stranded in Antarctica at a research station (and there was only one bed!). The worldbuilding was so immersive that Rey wrapped a blanket around herself in her apartment as she experienced the researchers find love and survive against the odds amidst a frozen tundra. 

When it came to privacy and protecting their art, D.M. gave J.D. Salinger a run for his money. Rey always used the “they” pronoun to refer to D.M. because she and Ben differed on whether D.M. Simineaux was a man or woman. They never put a picture on their website and every hint about this person was very gender neutral. Despite the hours of scouring said website, Rey’s detective work proved fruitless. 

Ben maintained that D.M. was a man and that was the hill he would die on. His one shred of evidence he clung to was in D.M.’s book, _ Going Down on Wall Street, _there was a scene where the female protagonist gives the male protagonist a blow job. The descriptions from the male’s point of view were so vivid and real, Ben argued, it could only be written by a male. 

Rey’s counterpoint was the feelings and emotions expressed by D.M.’s characters were equally raw and as real as that damned blow job. Their books masterfully took the reader through the full spectrum of human emotion, which Rey argued only a woman could skillfully accomplish. 

That particular argument had been raging in the office for about three months now, with no end in sight. 

After a complimentary lunch of a turkey sandwich and chips, Rey took a brief nap. The alarm of her sleep cycle app sounded at around four and she began getting herself ready for the reception. She showered, put on her makeup, and a simple knee-length black cocktail dress with long sleeves. 

Rey had a slight moment of panic, just before heading out the door. Her grandmother, Sabine’s, ring that she normally _ never _took off was missing. A frantic search ensued. She turned over every square inch of her hotel room to find the last thing that reminded her she used to have a family. Rey was equal parts about to throw in the towel and seconds from dropping on her hands and knees to perform a more thorough search when a quiet voice in the back of her mind told her to check the bathroom once more. 

Minutes later the contents of Rey’s makeup bag were strewn about the bathroom counter as she combed through her creams, eyeshadow pallates, and mascara. Rey had all but lost hope of recovering her family heirloom. Shaky breaths escaped from her body along with murmurs of _ no, no, no _. She slammed a fist on the counter and a guttural groan of frustration came along with it.

When all was silent again, Rey heard a clinking noise from the floor, and she looked for the source of the sound. A wave of relief flooded her when she spotted it, the diamonds that surrounded the emerald in the center catching the light. She clutched the precious ring like her life depended on it as she checked the time on her watch. 6:55. Ben would give her _ a look _ if she was any later. She slipped the gold band on her left ring finger, grabbed her clutch and ran out the door. 

  
  


She was out of breath by the time she reached the lounge where the reception was taking place, but her hurrying was in vain. There was no sight of Ben just yet. Other guests were mingling, either opting to sit on the leather couches and ottomans provided, or pulling up to a space at the bar. The din of their conversation just barely rising above a jazz pianist in the corner. Rey’s eyes scanned the room to see if she knew anyone here that she could make small talk with before Ben graced everyone with his presence and they began their mission. No such luck. 

With a sigh, she elected to take one of the open seats at the bar. Rey remembered it was the first thing her eyes were drawn to it when she walked in, so Ben shouldn’t have a hard time finding her. After ordering a glass of Chardonnay, Rey took her phone out of her clutch and shot off a text to Ben, informing him that she was waiting by the bar. 

A grey jacket comes into her peripheral vision. The man wearing that grey jacket took the seat next to Rey and offered her a smile. She supposed he wasn’t unattractive in a sort-of-generic-white-guy-kind-of-way—dirty blonde hair, green eyes, athletic build—so she did the polite thing and smiles back. Almost instantly, Rey regretted this decision. 

“Hey, I’m Alex,” he said extending his hand. His eyes said he was one of those who was looking for more than conversation. 

_ God, not tonight. _

“Rey,” She replied with a nod, returning his gesture, her lips pulled into a tight line/ half-smile. Rey was trying to let her body language speak for her, tell this guy that she was not interested. 

She moved to turn away from him, taking a sip of her wine, but this guy wasn’t taking the hint. Her persisted. “You here on business?”

“I am,” she replied, nodding slowly, all the while maintaining little to no eye contact. 

“Cool. I’m here with the conference, too. Agent or writer?” 

“Agent,” she answered curtly, looking at her phone, praying that Ben had replied to her message. Again, no such luck. 

“Oh, me too!” he replied with far too much enthusiasm. His body now completely turned to face her, but she’s still facing front, not daring to show too much interest. She’s wishing she had a communicator to ask Scotty to beam her up because there are no signs of intelligent life anywhere. “So what’s your story?” 

_ God, kill me now _. “Um...” 

“She’s with me”, a deep baritone voice that almost made her jump, said from behind Rey. _ Ben _. 

She could feel his warm hand ghosting along the small of her back. A pleasant, gooey sensation rising in her belly from the simple touch. It felt strange, having Ben protect her like this, but Rey wasn’t about to complain. This Alex fellow was becoming a nuisance and she wasn’t about to turn away any help in making him go away. 

Alex’s eyes fell to Rey’s left hand, which was prominently displayed on the bar now. She looked down at it. Rey was almost one-hundred percent sure his eyes were about to pop out of his head. 

Alex shrunk back and his tone became contrite. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize you were married.” 

“No problem,” Rey shot back with a fake smile. 

She had never seen a man scurry away so fast in her life. Her shoulders relaxed as her chest shook in silent laughter. 

“Thank you,” she said when he was out of ear shot. 

“Don’t worry about,” he said with an amused smile on his face. He sat down in Alex’s vacant seat and grabbed the attention of the bartender. “Whiskey, neat.” 

When Ben had been served, Rey scanned the room as if that would give her some direction as to who D.M. Simineaux was. “Shall we begin mingling?” 

Ben helped Rey down from her bar stool—another one of his gentlemanly moments—and she grabbed her wine glass. They only taken a few steps when a couple approached them.

“Excuse me?” Ben and Rey turned and were met with a man who was just a little shorter than Ben, with brown hair and olive skin. “I just saw what happened and I had to come over. Sticking up for your wife and saving her from that boorish brute. That’s got to be the most romantic thing I’ve had the privilege of witnessing!” 

“You’ll have to forgive my husband,” the woman standing next to him replied, with a roll of her eyes. She tucked a strand of her blonde hair behind her ear. “He’s a romance writer and is constantly trying to prove to me that he’s not the only romantic sucker still alive.” 

“Darling, please let me have this,” the man said, his British accent on full display. “Pardon me, where are my manners? I’m Dopheld Mitaka and this is my wife, Kaydel.” 

The four exchanged handshakes and small talk for a few minutes before Rey excused herself to go to the bathroom. She was in the middle of doing her business when another woman entered while in the middle of the phone conversation. Rey recognized the voice as Kaydel, the woman she’d just met, only minutes prior. 

“Nah, I’m in upstate New York with Mitty this weekend. Writer’s conference,” she said. 

From the location of her voice, Rey could tell that she was in the adjacent powder room, probably touching up her makeup. 

Kaydel laughed at the person on the other end of the phone. “No, no, no. The pirates one was six months ago, he just released the Revolutionary War one.” 

Kaydel’s voice trailed off as she continued speaking. Rey exited the stall to go wash her hands, just missing the other woman. At first blush, Kaydel’s words meant little to nothing to her, just common settings for novels. Seconds later, something clicked. D.M. Simineaux had just published a romance novel set in colonial Virginia. Rey had stayed up until 3 am the Friday night after it’s release, devouring every word. 

Rey shook her head. Merely a coincidence. However, it was enough to make Rey pull out her phone and consult Google. Seconds later, it was Rey’s turn to have her eyes nearly pop out of her skull. There it was, D.M. Simineaux had published a book back in March called _ Bring Me the Horizon _and it was indeed a pirate caper. 

Rey sprinted out of the bathroom before Ben said something they’d both regret. Rey returned into the lounge and saw that Ben and the Mitakas had grabbed a few seats around a small table and were chatting like old friends. Upon arriving at the table, Rey draped her hand around Ben’s broad shoulder. 

“Hello, everyone,” she greeted with a congenial smile. “Do you mind if I steal my _ husband _ away for a few moments?”

The Mitakas nodded in agreement. Ben looked thoroughly confused, but followed her away from the table. 

“Thank God you showed up, Rey. Mitty has been going on and on about how we make a lovely couple and we gotta tell him we’re not married. We gotta tell him it’s just a misunderstanding, that you accidentally put the ring on the wrong hand.” 

Rey is taken aback for a second. How did he know that? That’s a rather minute detail for him to have noticed. _ Maybe...no _. No, she’s not going to allow her brain to wander down that path. She’ll simply tell Ben what she discovered in the bathroom and fill him in on the plan she’s been hatching. 

“That’s great we can use that!” 

“Use what?” 

Rey lowered her voice to practically a whisper. “Mitty is D.M. Simineaux!” 

Ben stepped back a hair and looked at Rey for a fraction of a second, as if she was going to tell him it was a joke—follow it up with “Psych!” 

“I’m serious! I heard his wife talking on the phone in the bathroom and she was mentioning details that only someone close to D.M. would know!” 

“Seriously?” 

Rey nodded vigorously. 

Ben paused for a second, mulling over his next words. A smile spread across his face with just a hint of smugness behind it. “Told you D.M. was a guy.” 

Rey groaned in frustration. “Yeah, yeah, you were right you insufferable prick...don't you get it? They think we’re married! Married couples love to do things with other married couples. We hang out with them for the week and before the closing reception on Thursday night, we casually mention we know he’s D.M. and that we’d like to sign him.” 

“So, let me get this straight,” Ben huffed out a breath, running his fingers through his perfectly coiffed hair, “you want us to pretend to be a married couple, effectively tricking him into signing with us?” 

“Well, when you put it like that…” 

“Rey, that’s insane,” he said, looking past her. 

She sighed. She knew her plan was a Hail Mary, but she had to try. “Okay, fine, let’s just go tell them we’re not married and have a good laugh about this.” 

“Thank you,” Ben replied, apparently happy that she was no longer entertaining crazy ideas.

Ben and Rey rejoined the Mitakas. 

“Everything alright?” Dopheld asked before taking a sip of his drink. 

“Perfectly fine,” Rey assured them, resuming nursing her own drink. 

“Wonderful! I was just telling Kay that it’s so refreshing to meet another couple at one of these conferences. A lot of people don’t bring their spouses or partners and it gets boring, so I hope you don’t mind my enthusiasm about all this.” 

“Not at all,” Ben waved him off. “Funny, we actually have something to tell you about that…”

“Well, before you make your confession, Kay and I are taking a hike tomorrow morning and would love if you and your lovely wife would join us.” 

Rey looked at Ben, completely unsure of where his mind was. He hesitated a moment and Rey was about to confess that they weren’t a couple. 

“What time?” was all Ben said.

  
  



	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What can I say? It's been eight months since this got an update and I thank you guys for your patience with this! I hope the wait is worth it. I also hope this update finds you safe, happy, and healthy. 
> 
> Many thanks to [JenfysNest](https://archiveofourown.org/users/JenfysNest) for the beta!

The Mitakas were surprisingly entertaining drink companions for the rest of the evening. Mitty—as he liked to be called—made sure everyone felt included in the conversation and his brain held no shortage of conversation topics, ready to fire at a moment’s notice. Kay, was equally witty with a dry sense of humor that had the fake Mr. and Mrs. Solo in stitches. Even if they weren’t trying to sign him, Rey would freely admit that the Mitakas were people she would hang out with again, in a heartbeat, a far cry from the double dates she’d been on in the past. 

“That’s a beautiful engagement ring,” Kay interjected during a natural pause in the conversation. “Where did you get it, Ben?” 

The gears in Rey’s head began churning, trying to think of a passable lie as quickly as possible. It wasn’t necessary, however, because Ben somehow had thought of one already. 

“It was my grandmother’s ring,” he began. “Before she passed, she gave it to me and told me to give it to the right girl, or guy…she was rather progressive like that,” he added with a chuckle. 

“Sounds like it,” Kay added.

“And here you are, with the right girl.” Mitty nodded. 

“I got lucky,” Ben replied, placing a hand on Rey’s thigh. 

It was a foreign feeling, to be touched by Ben in public in such an intimate manner, but Rey just shot him a dutiful smile. Like it was the most natural thing in the world, like it was nothing to be touched like this by him. The expression on his face did nothing to settle her. Ben was _ really _ selling this, gazing at her with adoration—like she was the only thing in the room that mattered or would ever matter. Damn, was he one hell of an actor. 

She squeezed his hand, letting him know the moment had passed, he didn’t need to be cute anymore. He responded by removing his hand and taking a sip of his drink, as if he needed the amber drink to settle him. 

“So, how long have you two been married?” Kay questioned casually.

_ Shit. _

“Two years.” 

“Six months.” 

The panic that passed between them in their shared gaze only lasted for a second as they devolved into laughter, attempting to not appear suspicious. 

“We’ve been married two years and six months,” Rey replied, hoping that would be enough. 

The Mitaka’s seemed to buy their explanation for now. Kay attempted to cover a yawn. 

“I’m so sorry if we’re boring you,” Ben deadpanned. 

“Oh no, no,” Kay laughed. “We’ve been up since 4:30, to fly in from Seattle for this.” 

Rey looked at her watch. “Oh yeah, guess it is getting kind of late. What floor is your room on?” 

“Seven,” Mitty responded. 

“No kidding,” Ben raised his eyebrows, “We’re on the seventh floor as well.” 

Rey simply nodded along, praying to whatever deity was listening that the Mitaka’s room was nowhere near their rooms. As the elevator dinged for the seventh floor, Rey’s prayers went unheeded. Mitty and Kay followed them every step of the way. As luck would have it, their drink companions were staying in the room across from Ben’s. 

“Well, what a coincidence!” Rey beamed with mock enthusiasm. “We’re neighbors.” 

The couples bid each other good night and entered their rooms. 

“This is a disaster!” Rey hissed, just low enough so only Ben could hear her. 

“Well, if someone didn’t have the _ genius _ idea to pretend to be _ married _ to sign a client…”

“You were the one who killed the idea, then...without consulting me...changed the plan and made us Mr. and Mrs. Solo!” 

Ben rubbed his mouth. “Okay, sniping at each other isn’t going to get us anywhere. Let’s just get some sleep and we’ll talk this over in the morning.” 

Rey crossed her arms in concession and sighed. “Fair. I’ll just wait until we don’t see any sign of Mitty and Kay and I’ll go back to my room.” 

Rey crossed the room toward the couch and sat down. They looked at one another with a groan, as if the realization hit them at the same time. 

“They’re bound to notice if we’re not staying in the same room,” Ben said, giving voice to their apparent shared thought. 

“This couch better be a pull out bed,” Rey stated, pushing down on the cushions in an attempt to answer her own question. 

“It is,” Ben said moving out of the living room portion of the suite, into the bedroom. 

Rey breathed a small sigh of relief. There was a reason they had their no sleepover rule. A fat lot of good it was doing them now, however. Tomorrow she would deal with this. Tomorrow she would draw up an action plan for sleeping arrangements, as well as one for how to fool the Mitakas. They seemed to be good people, so Rey felt a bit of guilt for tricking them like this, but that was another thing she’d worry about...tomorrow. 

***

The next morning when Rey awoke, along with a slight sense of disorientation, she felt the call of nature. She couldn’t answer it, however, because she heard the shower running. Her toes curled reflexively as she waited for any sign of Ben exiting the bathroom. 

The water shut off a few moments later and Rey turned over in bed, ready to hop out of it and into the bathroom as soon as Ben exited. The door opened and Rey’s heart may have skipped two or twenty beats. Ben emerged from the bathroom in nothing but a low hanging towel that left little to the imagination. He was clearly unaware that Rey had woken up in the time it took him to shower. 

He went over to the kitchenette and made coffee, all the while humming a show tune that Rey couldn’t place. It didn’t matter, she was hypnotized in the room’s dim light by the twitching of the muscles on his back—forming that perfect “V” that was a road map to the dimples above his perfectly toned ass. 

It was in that moment, as her mouth grew dry and panties grew wetter, she realized she had never gotten a chance to see Ben fully naked. She could definitely pull his bits below the waist out of a lineup, but in all their hurried romps they’d never been fully bare before each other. 

She told herself that _ had _ to be why this scene was affecting her like this. It was just a natural reaction she would have to any man who looked like that. _ Right? _ Right.

Ben finished making coffee and lumbered into the bedroom, shutting the door behind him. 

_ Thank god, _she thought, throwing the covers back and dashing into the bathroom as quickly and quietly as possible. By the time she was done, Rey emerged from the bathroom and was met with a fully clothed Ben. Rey tried to ignore the pang of disappointment at the loss of his muscular chest, but was it truly a loss? Rey found she couldn’t even look him in the eye. 

“Oh, morning,” he greeted. “Didn’t realize you were up.” 

“I just woke up,” she shrugged, shuffling over to her pull out bed. 

“Breakfast starts in, like, ten minutes. You gonna be ready?” 

Rey nodded, still unable to look Ben in the eyes. 

“You okay?” he asked.. 

Rey nodded again. “Sorry, I just don’t sleep well the first night in new places.” 

Ben gave her a look that said he didn’t quite believe her, but he was going to let it go. “Okay. If you wanna take the bed in the main room, just let me know.” 

Rey gave him a quick smile as she pulled clothing from her bag, sending up a silent prayer of thanks that she had been able to sneak out of Ben’s room last night and retrieve it from her own room. 

Minutes later, she was piling food from the continental breakfast on her plate. Ben was giving her plate a surprised look. 

“What?” 

“Nothing,” he chuckled. 

She glared at him, placing another croissant on her plate to spite him. “Okay, Mr. _ I’ve Been to Paris _, the croissants here are a religious experience.” 

A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth as he grabbed a pastry and plunked it down on his own plate. “I’ll be the judge of that.” 

As they walked toward the communal dining room, Rey caught sight of the ring that began this whole mess. “Nice job on the ring story, by the way.” 

Ben waved her off with his free hand. “They say the best lies are the ones that start with the truth. I figured that ring had to have some sort of family connection.” 

“How do you figure?” 

“Whenever anyone begins to talk about their grandparents or family, you fiddle with the ring. I just figured it was a family heirloom,” he replied, scanning the dining room for a seat. 

His tone was nonchalant, but those few simple words had the effect of turning her world on its axis for a moment. He’d been _ observing _ her. Fiddling with her grandmother’s ring was something she’d never even realized she did until he so casually brought it up. Noticing a quirk wasn’t an earth shattering revelation, but to Rey it meant _ something _. No one had ever taken notice of her like that. 

It was almost as if..._ no, stop _. Nothing good came from straying down that garden lane. She was on a Ben Solo dick detox and didn’t need to replace one drug for the other. Whatever her feelings were for Ben were arguably a more potent drug than his dick. One that she absolutely did not need to indulge in. Not when she was leaving First Order. 

“You’re right,” she replied, attempting to match his laid-back demeanor. “It was my grandmother, Satine’s. Her and my grandfather, who was also called Ben, raised me after my parents died. I inherited it when she passed.” 

They found a small table tucked in the corner and sat. “I’m sorry to hear that, Rey.” 

Rey shrugged. She really didn’t want to talk about this, _ ever _. Ben was the last person she’d ever consider spilling her guts about this to, but here they were.

As if Ben sensed she was uncomfortable with questions about her past, “Okay, new topic. If we’re going to pretend to be married, tell me something that your husband would know.” 

Rey considered this for a second. “Oh! I do karaoke with my friends in a bar in SoHo almost every Thursday night.” 

“Rose and Finn? The married couple from IT, right?” 

“Rose and Finn,” Rey repeated with a smile, slightly impressed “and, yes, they do work in IT and are, in fact, married.” 

_ Point two for Solo’s observation skills. _

“Okay, now your turn. What’s something only a person who’s married to you would know?” 

Ben’s eyes became shifty and he pushed a sausage around his plate. “I’m rather boring.” 

“Okay, there’s definitely something you’re hiding.” 

He scoffed. “There is not.” 

“There so is, come on, what is it? You wear women’s undies? You have a guilty pleasure TV show?”

He winced at that last statement. 

Rey gasped. “Undies?” 

“Guilty pleasure TV show,” he nearly gritted through his teeth. “_ The Bachelorette _, more specifically. I started watching it when my mom had surgery last year and I stayed with her while she was recovering.” 

“Oh my god,” Rey said laughing. 

It occurs to her that this is the first time he’s _ ever _ mentioned family. It’s not like they’ve had deep conversations, but at least Ben knew in passing Rey had no family. Rey knew nothing about his family. 

Rey’s eyes roved over his frame, perceiving a change in his demeanor. Maybe it was the mention of family and all the _ lovely _memories Rey knew that could dredge up, but he looked different in a manner of seconds. He’d somehow sat up straighter, his muscles tight and on edge. He hadn’t pushed the issue of family before, so Rey decided to return the favor. 

She cleared her throat. “So, we should probably take a more kid glove approach with trying to approach Mitty about signing him.” 

Ben nodded after taking a sip of his black coffee. “Probably for the best, considering he’s been resistant thus far.” 

Rey stared out the window for a half a moment. “We should probably figure out what his hang ups are about traditional publishing.” 

Ben nodded, mulling over her words as a sly smile formed on his face. “I still can’t believe I was right. Told you a man was capable of all that…” 

Rey rolled her eyes with a chuckle. “Okay so maybe he’s a rarity. Guys aren’t naturally thoughtful or romantic.” 

“See, I disagree,” Ben stated matter-of-factly. 

Rey raised an eyebrow. “You’re telling me you’re thoughtful and romantic?” 

Ben smirked. “Maybe.” 

“I find that hard to believe. In my experience, men like that just don’t exist.” 

“Maybe you just haven’t been given the opportunity for someone to prove it,” his voice was soft and all hints of their prior banter were suddenly gone. There was more meaning behind his words—hidden in his expression—something she didn’t want to understand right now. 

She cleared her throat and pushed the remaining eggs around her plate. 

***

An hour later, Rey and Ben were at the base of one of the more leisurely hiking trails near Pinewood. Rey zipped her sherpa fleece to the top, as the temperature was a few degrees colder than the city. Mitty and Kay had just arrived, ready to tackle the trail. 

“So, Mitty, you’re a romance writer, huh?” 

“Indeed,” Mitty replied, stopping to admire a small pond in a clearing through the trees. He snapped a photo with his phone. 

“Ben and I are literary agents for romance writers,” Rey said casually, laying the groundwork for a potential pitch later in the trip. 

Mitty saw right through it and laughed. “Ah, I was wondering how long it would take for you to begin your pitch.” 

Rey scoffed, “I would never...okay, yes I totally would, but in all seriousness, I was just about to ask you about your process.” 

“To me, it’s all about the relationship between the two characters,” he said, pensively. “I like to start with five things the characters will eventually grow to love about each other.” 

“Huh, that’s actually very _ thoughtful _ and _ romantic _,” Ben interjected with a pointed glance at Rey. 

They glared at each other in silence for a moment—the Mitaka’s clearly aware they were missing something. 

“Er, yes. Take Kay and I for instance,” he wrapped his arm around his wife. “She’s no-nonsense, intelligent, stops to pet every dog, she’s a news junkie, but most importantly...she pulls my head out of the clouds.” 

“God, you really are sickeningly sweet, Mitty,” Kay teased. 

“Now, darling, you know you wouldn’t have it any other way,” he pressed a kiss to her forehead. 

Ben slipped an arm around her waist and Rey’s heart skipped a beat—an occurrence which was becoming all too frequent. Rey reminded herself it was all for show as she rested her head on his shoulder. 

They took a few quiet moments to appreciate the beauty of their surroundings. All that could be heard were birds singing their merry tunes and leaves rustling on the breeze. The couples snapped a few photos to remember the scenery. It was Ben who finally brought them back to business. 

“We should be heading back,” Ben reminded them after checking his watch. “Rey and I have a few meetings.” 

“Mitty, you wanted to catch that YA panel at noon, right?” Kay asked. 

Mitty nodded and they headed back in the direction of the beginning of the trail. When they were nearly halfway back to the starting point of the trail, Kay pointed out a chipmunk that ran across their path. Rey turned her head to look and rolled her ankle on a prominent root, falling to the ground in one motion.

“Ah!” she yelled, attracting the attention of her companions.. 

Ben, who was ahead of her, whipped his head around, rushing to her side in seconds. “You okay?!” 

“Yeah. Fine,” she gritted through her teeth. 

She stood and took a few steps on the affected foot to test the waters—sharp pains shot up her leg with each step. 

_ Shit. _

“You sure?” Ben asked, catching up to her. “Do you need me to carry you?” 

Rey glared at him and lowered her voice. “You don’t have to do this.” 

“I know,” he answered. The sincerity from breakfast was back and suddenly her will to argue was gone with it. Damn her. Why couldn’t she fight this...whatever it was?

She steadied herself with a hand on his shoulder and hobbled around to his back. He lowered himself and hoisted her up. All the while back to the lodge, Rey wondered if the rest of this week was going to be a dick detox at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> come say hi on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/em_is_writing)!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back guys! I'm sorry I've been super slow with updates, but I'm trying y'all! Please note the updated chapter count! 
> 
> Thanks to Jen for the beta!

Rey’s entire leg was throbbing by lunchtime. Despite the fact that she’d been sitting down and listening to pitches all morning, the pain was enough to distract her at times from the task at hand. She nearly cried out in joy when the event staff shut down the pitch session because it was time for lunch. Outside the conference room where she’d been since they returned from the trails, she met up with Ben, wincing as she put pressure on her ankle.

Ben’s eyes widened as they traveled down her legs toward her ankle. “You sure you’re okay?” 

“Yeah, I’m fine.” 

Rey was lying through her teeth, but she wouldn’t tell him the truth that her ankle  _ fucking hurt _ . When she got hurt on the hike earlier, he’d  _ really  _ been on a mission to sell (1) the fact that they were actually married and (2) that men could actually be thoughtful and romantic. 

That would be just like him, act like the perfect guy just to get one up on her. He’d tried it once and Rey wouldn’t let that happen…again. 

Shaking her head, she stood up to walk toward the dining hall. Pain zinged up her leg, stinging with each step, but she kept her poker face strong. Ben couldn’t have the satisfaction. Spite motivated her.

_ I don’t want any confusion about what this is. _

Ben’s words from January suddenly reverberated in her mind. She hadn’t thought about that night in forever. It had been nearly nine months, but the pain? It was still fresh. God, why did his words still sting?

At that very moment, she was almost glad for the pain radiating from her ankle. It kept her from thinking about things she shouldn’t be dwelling on. She also had to concentrate on keeping up with Ben’s long strides. Of course she’d have to keep up with a freaking Redwood while injured. 

They reached the elevator and Rey shifted her weight off her ankle, releasing a contented sigh. 

“You sure you’re ok?” 

Rey nodded quickly. “We’re meeting Mitty and Kaydel for lunch?” 

Ben eyed her dubiously, “Yeah,” he hummed in amusement. “They’re actually good people.” 

Rey let out a small chuckle, “Yeah, they’re nice.” 

Ben worked his lip for a second, “Good enough to make me feel bad about lying to them.” 

On that, Rey couldn’t disagree. She released a resigned sigh. “We’ll say ten Hail Mary’s each and do penance after we tell them we’re ‘divorced.’” 

Ben released his own sigh as his eyes fell to the ground. “Yeah, I just hope it’s all worth it.” 

“Signing D.M. better come with a hefty Christmas bonus.” 

Rey could feel his gaze move toward her, but she didn’t meet it. She didn’t want to decipher his expression. 

“Yeah, signing D.M…” His voice was barely above a whisper when he spoke. Rey had heard that tone from him before and she knew she  _ definitely  _ couldn’t look at him. 

_ Ding.  _

Rey took a step as the elevator doors opened and was quickly reminded that she had a bum ankle. 

She soldiered forward like all was well. When they got to the table where the Mitaka’s were, she was fighting back tears. Her body sang when she was finally able to sit down. No longer able to maintain a totally stoic appearance, she pushed her black ballet flat off her foot and began to massage the offending appendage as she greeted her lunch companions.

“Holy shit, Rey,” Kaydel said, upon seeing her foot. “That’s fifty shades of purple right there.” 

Rey offered a fake laugh. “I promise you it looks worse than it is.” 

Ben craned his head to view the damage. “Kaydel, can you please tell my wife that she needs to have her ankle checked out?” 

Rey’s brain short-circuited at the words  _ my wife _ . It fell so freely and easily from his beautiful lips without an ounce of hesitation. It almost made her forget that they weren’t  _ actually _ married. 

“Kaydel, can you please tell my husband to mind his own business and that I’m fine?” 

Kaydel looked between the pair with an amused expression, then back at Rey’s foot. “I dunno, Mrs. Solo, I’d have to agree with Mr. Solo on this one. You might wanna get that checked out.”

_ Mrs. Solo _ . It was weird, but she actually liked being called that. In spite of her complicated feelings about the man who “gave” her that name, it kind of...fit. It gave her a family to belong to, something she’d lacked for a very long time. Of course, this too would just be temporary. 

Rey cleared her throat and turned to her husband. Her  _ fake  _ husband, she quickly reminded herself. “If I go to an urgent care after lunch, will you get off my back?”

Ben smirked. “Yes.” 

After an uneventful lunch, Rey got up to leave and headed toward the front desk of the resort, but she had a shadow in the wide, looming form of one Ben Solo. 

She looked over her shoulder at Ben. “Did you need something before I left for urgent care?” 

“No, I’m coming with you,” Ben answered her casually, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. 

“That won’t be necessary,” Rey dismissed him. A resort employee came up to the front desk at that moment. Rey smiled in greeting, “Hello, I was wondering if there were any Urgent Care places around here?” 

“There’s a free-standing ER about fifteen minutes from here,” the employee answered. 

Ben cut in. “Could we get the address?” 

The employee nodded and after scribbling the address down, handed the paper to Rey. She pulled up the Uber app on her phone, praying that the service was available. 

“Have a seat on one of the chairs outside,” Ben nodded in that direction. “I’ll go grab the car.” 

Rey sighed, “Look, if you’re coming just to gloat…”

Ben whipped around fast. He wore a confused expression on his face that held just a hint of pain. “Is that really what you think of me, Rey?” 

Her stomach clenched at his words. “No, sorry,” she sighed as her face fell into her hand. “Go get the car, I’ll wait outside.” 

His lips were drawn in a tight line as he nodded and disappeared out of the automatic doors. 

Rey hobbled out after him, conceding to her injury. Moments later, Ben’s SUV came into view. For a brief moment, she worried this would be an awkward car ride, in silence, with nothing but NPR droning on between them. Ben hopped out after throwing the SUV in park, grabbed Rey's purse and stood close to offer her help into the car. At least he held no ill will for her bitchy remarks. The silence in the car was comfortable as they drove to the ER. 

By the looks of the waiting room, it was a slow day for the ER. Rey was checked in and sent for an X-ray in short order. The nurse made her comfortable, propping up her ankle with a pillow and placing ice on top of it. 

“I’ll go get your husband and bring him back here while you guys wait for the doctors.” 

_ Husband _ . There it was again. Rey told herself as the nurse pulled the curtain closed and walked away that she didn’t bother to correct her because Ben might not be allowed back if he wasn’t family.  _ Yeah _ , that was it. 

“Rey?” came Ben’s voice from behind the curtain a few minutes later. 

“Yeah,” she answered. 

He sat down in the chair next to the stretcher, his large frame barely contained by the piece of furniture. The sounds of crappy daytime TV drifted down from the tiny TV hanging from the ceiling in her room. 

Rey bit her lip and broke the silence between them. “I’m sorry about what I said earlier.”

Ben nodded, “Do you really think that little of me?” 

“Your track record with being gentle with my feelings isn’t exactly stellar.” The words slipped out. 

Prior to this week, she hadn’t thought about the events of last December/ January in a very long time, but  _ surprise _ , apparently there were still some unresolved issues between them. 

“If you’re referring to what happened to us after New Year’s,” he huffed out a breath, contemplating what he was going to say next, “I...wish that had gone differently.” 

Rey shrugged, trying to appear more nonchalant than she felt. “It was a miscommunication. I thought you wanted more, but you just wanted...well...what we have now. It’s okay. I’m a big girl, Ben. My feelings  _ were  _ hurt for a little, but, water under the bridge, I guess?” 

Ben’s eyes were cast down toward the floor. “Like I said, I wished things would have gone differently.” 

Rey picked at a piece of lint on her dress. “How do you mean?” 

Ben was silent for a few moments and that made Rey turn her head toward him. He worked his jaw. It was almost as if he was pleading with her not to make him say whatever his truth was. He opened his mouth to speak and Rey found herself desperate to hear what he was about to say.

“Rey Kenobi?” a woman called from behind the curtain. 

Rey cleared her throat. “That’s me!”

A muscular woman with medium-length brown hair and green scrubs pulled back the curtain. She pulled her hand out of her fleece pocket and extended it toward Rey. “Hi, I’m Dr. Cara Dune. What brings you in today?” 

Rey regaled Dr. Dune with the tale of how she was a clutz and tripped on a root that had come out of nowhere. Dr. Dune pulled back the ice pack that had been covering her ankle. Rey couldn’t help but wince at the shooting pain that accompanied the pressure that Dr. Dune applied while inspecting the appendage in question. As that happened, her hand flew to the side of the stretcher to squeeze the side rail. 

Instead of the cold, unfeeling touch of the railing, she found Ben’s hand. It was warm and soothing as she laced her fingers with his. 

“Well, the good news is, your ankle isn’t broken,” the doctor began as she applied some hand sanitizer, “but you do have a pretty serious sprain.” 

“Well, I guess that’s good, right?” 

Dr. Dune nodded. “You will need to wear a boot on that leg, though.” 

Rey supposed she could live with that. 

They got back to their room and Ben shepherded Rey to the couch. “I’ll go get some ice for that, you just relax.” 

She wanted to say something about how she has two legs and can get her own damn ice, but the memory of Ben’s face falling when she’d insinuated he was only helping her in order to gloat was still fresh in her mind. Maybe he was just actually being nice and helpful. Maybe she should let someone else take care of  _ her _ for a change. 

Rey spent the rest of the day on the couch with her leg propped up. Ben had moved her road trip snacks close to her before he rejoined the conference. A  _ Love It or List It  _ marathon was on and Rey let the sounds of the television lull her to sleep. 

When her eyes flew open again, the room was darker with shades of purples and orange from the setting sun poking through the thick room curtains. She heard the beeping from the key card outside the room followed by the door opening as Ben stepped inside. 

“Hey,” she mumbled, her voice still groggy from sleep. 

“Sorry, did I wake you?” he asked sheepishly, while setting down a pizza on the table near the kitchenette. 

“No, it’s fine. I’m one of those people who can’t nap for too long during the day or I won’t fall asleep at night,” Rey said as she looked back at the window. 

Ben chuckled. “Fair enough, want some pizza?” 

Rey nodded and he brought two slices over for her on a paper plate. With Rey being sprawled out on the couch, there wasn’t much extra room for Ben to sit, but he managed to slip into a spot by Rey’s foot. 

“So what are you watching?” 

Rey explained the premise of the show and Ben nodded thoughtfully. “People actually watch this kind of show?” 

Rey laughed. “It’s mindless entertainment, Ben.” 

Ben rolled his eyes playfully. “That’s one way to put it.” 

Rey shook her head. “We can watch something else, the TV has access to Netflix.” 

“No, it’s okay. I have work and emails to catch up on. I can just use this as background noise.” 

They ate their pizza and talked about what had gone on at the conference that day. It was surprisingly comfortable, like they’d been doing this forever. It was utterly boring, domestic, and Rey kind of loved it. 

He barely paid attention to what was happening on the TV. Instead, he doted on Rey—bringing her drinks, Motrin, more ice, whatever she needed—in between answering emails. It didn’t really matter that he wasn’t watching Rey’s favorite channel. It also didn’t matter that he was probably being nice to prove to Rey that guys could, indeed, be thoughtful and romantic. 

He’d already proven that he wasn’t interested in her romantically, only physically. There was never a chance of anything developing long-term between them. But right here in this moment, as Ben took the ice pack off her ankle and began massaging it, she allowed herself to imagine this is what it would be like to be in a relationship with Ben Solo. This side of him was gentle and understanding. Her tall, gentle, and understanding fake husband. 

“Is this okay?” he asked as his thumbs gently worked out the swelling in her foot. 

“Mhm,” Rey nodded with a smile. 

Her eyes fluttered closed as she allowed the endorphins released to wash over her. Moments later, Ben stopped and Rey nearly whimpered at the loss of contact. 

“I’m gonna get you some more ice,” he said, and there was something else behind his voice that Rey didn’t want to unpack. She cast her eyes down at her phone sitting in her lap so that she wouldn’t have to look at him as he stood and went to make her a new ice pack. 

Rey turned her head to focus on the TV and listen to whatever white people problems the couple on the show had with their house. As the wife ranted that the scope of the work would exceed their budget, Rey heard Ben slam the ice bucket down on the table and she jumped. 

“Jesus Christ, Linda, you haven’t updated your house since the 90s and now you want Hillary to perform a miracle?! Get the fuck out of here with that weak shit!” 

Rey nearly spit out the sip of soda she had just taken. When she’d finished coughing, she turned toward Ben. “I thought this was just background noise?” 

Ben looked like a kid whose hand had been caught in the cookie jar. That just made Rey laugh even harder as he finished making her ice pack and sat down. The tips of Ben’s ears were pink and Rey allowed her domestic fantasies to run rampant,  _ just for tonight _ . 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come say hi on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/em_is_writing)

**Author's Note:**

> [My Twitter](https://twitter.com/em_is_writing)


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